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March 24, 1964 J. w. WILDE 3,125,333

SKATE SHARPENING DEVICE Filed Feb. 19, 1962 INVENTOR.

W/ w. 4) WM United States Patent 3,125,833 SKATE SHARPENING DEVICE James W. Wilde, Verdun, Quebec, Canada Canadian Research & Development Foundation, 1437 Van Horne Ave, Montreal, Quebec, Canada) Filed Feb. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 173,921 Claims. (Cl. 51-102) This invention relates to sharpening devices and more particularly to a portable device for sharpening the runners of ice skates and the like.

Skate sharpeners of the prior art fall into the main classes: that of the hand tool variety having a body, including guide means and adapted to hold an abrasive tool such as a file or slip-stone shaped to produce the hollowground profile on the edge of a skate runner, and the bench type of machine having a motor driven abrasive wheel and somewhat more complicated adjustable guide means for traversing the skate blade across the grinding face of the wheel in the proper attitude. The former, while convenient is, of necessity, somewhat slow and tedious; the latter while doing a better and faster job is designed primarily for commercial use and would not normally be acquired by the average skater. With the advent of small power tools for home workshop use, a portable power driven skate sharpening attachment becomes feasible.

It is the principal object of the instant invention therefore to provide a lightweight skate sharpening device utilizing a rotating abrasive wheel, adapted for use with a portable power source.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a skate sharpener constructed in accordance with the invention and showing it in operative position on a skate blade.

FIG. 2 is a tranverse sectional view of the sharpener taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the sharpener partly sectioned.

Referring to the drawing, a body generally indicated at 10, comprises front and rear plates 11 and 12 respectively, of heavy gauge sheet metal substantially rectangular shape but preferably having the lower corners cropped to form inclined edges 13 and 14 respectively. The plates 11 and 12 are held in rigid spaced apart relationship by a plurality of upper and lower transverse screws 15 and 16. Screws 15 pass through holes 17 adjacent the upper corners of rear plate 12, through upper spacing tubes 18 to engage in threaded holes 19 formed in the upper corners of front plate 11. Substantially midway of and adjacent the lower inclined edges 14 of rear plate 12, screws 16 pass through rear plate 12, through lower spacing tubes 20 and engage in threaded holes in front plate 11 in a similar manner to screws 15.

Lower portions 21 and 22 of plates 11 and 12 respec tively extending below the stations of screws 16 are provided on their inner surfaces with anvil pads 23 and 24. These pads 23 and 24 may be attached to plates 11 and 12 respectively in any known and convenient manner and are dimensioned to provide a longitudinal aperture 25, in a plane lying between the front and rear plates 11 and 12, which will receive an ice skate blade in sliding relationship therein. Anvil pads 23 and 24 together with lower spacing tubes 20 comprise guide means whereby the body may be traversed the length of a skate blade inserted in aperture 25 and in a constant attitude thereto.

A large open-ended slot 26, cut in the rear plate 12, has parallel vertical side edges 26a and 27 forming ways. A rectangular bearing block 28, having grooves 29 and ice 30 formed in opposing sides adjacent a forward face 31 thereof is adapted to slide in slot 26, the grooves 29 and 30 cooperating with ways 26a and 27 respectively. An arm 32 extends from an upper edge 33 of front plate 11 in a direction normal and rearwardly thereto. An openended slot 34 in theterminal end of arm 32 embraces a grooved portion 35 of a head 36 of a screw-threaded member 37. The screw-threaded member 37 engages a blind threaded hole 38 formed in bearing block 28 through an upper surface 39. The head 36 of the screwed member 37 may be provided with any profile such as slot 40 for engagement with wrenching means.

It may be seen from the structure thus far described that the bearing block 28 may be adjustably positioned in slot 26 relative to the guide means (lower distance tubes 20) at a greater or lesser distance therefrom by operation of the screw-threaded member 37. It is of course preferable that, in operation, the bearing block 23 be rendered stifily operable by choice of appropriate fits and clearances, or other means well known in the art, in order that the adjustment shall not alter unintentionally in operation of the device.

The bearing block 28 is through bored at 41 from face 31 adjacent a lower edge 42. The bore 41 lies normal to the medial plane of the front and rear plates 11 and 12 and is provided with a plain bearing shell 43 of suitable bearing material, and having a plain flange 44 abutting surface 31. The bearing shell 43 is retained in bore 41 by being a press fit therein.

A spindle 45 is carried for rotation in the bearing shell 43 and a free end extends rearwardly therefrom for insertion into a chuck 46 of a portable power source (not shown). The spindle 45 extends forwardly from face 31 of bearing block 28 and mounts an abrasive grinding wheel 47 in any known manner. The grinding wheel 47 is axially located between the plain flange of bearing shell 43 and a rubbing pad of anti-friction material 48 bonded to an inner surface 49 of front plate 11 shown particularly in FIG. 2. The grinding wheel which is dressed with a convex grinding face 47a rotates in an area bounded by the spacing tubes 18 and 20 and in a plane coincident with that of the aperture 25. As already described the wheel 47 may be adjusted linearly toward or away from the guide means constituted by the lower spacing tubes 20 and the anvil pads 23 and 24.

Abutting the upper edge 33 of front plate 11 and upper edges 55 and 51 of rear wall 12 and bridging the gap between is a hand grip 52 which has depending walls 53 and 54 adapted for attachment to the body 10 through the medium of screws 15. The hand grip may be fashioned from wood, plastic or other material so that the body 10 may be comfortably and firmly gripped by the hand of the operator.

In operation:

In order to sharpen a skate blade, the boot is first firmly set on a cobblers last or is firmly fixed with the blade uppermost in any convenient manner. A small portable electric drill, or other power source, is attached to spindle 45 of the sharpener by means of the chuck 46. The edge of the skate blade is inserted between anvil pads 23 and 24 and the sharpener is lowered until the blade edge abuts lower spacing tubes 20. The height of abrasive wheel 47 is then adjusted by screw means 37 until it just touches the edge of the skate blade. At this point, the operator is ready to make a cut and, with the power switched on, he traverses the full length of the blade, the body 10 gripped by the hand grip 52 in one hand, the handle of the power drill gripped in the other. The convex contour of edge 47a of abrasive wheel 47 produces the familiar concave hollow-ground form on the blade edge. Re-adjustment of the wheel 47 by means of threaded member 37, and further passes across the skate blade are made until a full hollow ground out with knife edges is obtained.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing describes a preferred embodiment of the invention and that the right is reserved to all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The embodiments of this invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A portable skate sharpening device for use in combination with an external portable detachably attachable, rotary power source comprising: a body, a guide on the body for abutting a skate blade so that the body traverses the running edge of said blade in a constant relationship, a bearing block slidably mounted upon said body for movement toward and away from said guide, adjustable means operatively linking the said bearing block and the body, a spindle rotatably carried in said bearing block and adapted for connection to said power source, an abrasive wheel mounted upon said spindle for rotation within said body, and a longitudinal member having a substantially U-shaped section fixedly secured to said body in a parallel, spaced-apart relation to said guide, thereby providing a hand grip means.

2. A portable skate sharpening device for use in combination with an external portable detachably attachable, rotary power source comprising: a front plate connected to a spaced apart rear plate and forming a body; guide means fixedly attached between the said front and rear plates and providing an aperture in a plane intermediate the planes of said plates to slidably receive the running edge of a skate blade; a bearing block slidably mounted upon said body for movement toward and away from said guide means, adjustable means operatively linking the said bearing block and said body; a spindle rotatably carried in said bearing block and adapted for connection to said power source; an abrasive wheel mounted upon said spindle for rotation within said body, and a longitudinal member having a substantial U-shaped section fixedly secured to said body in a parallel, spaced-apart relation to said guide, thereby providing a hand grip means.

3. A portable skate sharpening device for use in combination with an external portable detachably attachable; rotary power source comprising: a front plate and a rear plate, upper and lower spacing means holding the said plates in fixed, spaced apart relationship to form a body, extensions to said front and rear plates depending below said lower spacing means to provide an aperture in a plane intermediate the said plates to slidably receive a skate blade; said lowerspacing means limiting the depth of entry of the said blade into the said aperture; said rear plate being slotted to provide parallel ways; a bearing block having oppositely grooved faces adapted to cooperate with said ways to slide the said bearing block toward and away from said aperture; adjustable means operatively linking the said bearing block and said body; a spindle rotatably carried in said bearing block and adapted for connection to said power source; and an abrasive Wheel within said body mounted for rotation with said spindle.

4. A portable skate sharpening device for use in combination with an external detachably attachable, rotary power source comprising a front plate and a rear plate; upper and lower spacing means holding the said plates in fixed spaced apart relationship to form a body; extensions to said front and rear plates depending below said lower spacing means to provide an aperture in a plane intermediate the said plates to slidably receive a skate blade;

said lower spacing means limiting the depth of entry of said blade into the said aperture; said rear plate having an open-ended slot therein providing parallel ways; a bearing block having oppositely grooved faces adapted to cooperate with said ways to slide the said bearing block toward and away from the said aperture; an arm extending rearwardly and normally from the said front plate through the open end of said slot in said rear plate; a threaded member rotatably carried on said arm and engaging a threaded bore in said bearing block for adjustably positioning said bearing block toward and away from said aperture; a spindle rotatably carried in the said bearing block and adapted for connection to said power source at one end; and convex edged abrasive wheel for rotation between said front and rear plates mounted at the opposite end of said spindle.

5. A portable skate sharpening device as claimed in claim 4- including a hand grip bridging the front and rear plates of the said body and fixedly attached to the said upper spacing means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,590,619 Ernst June 29, 1926 1,716,662 Pedley June 11, 1929 1,786,553 Thorngren Dec. 30, 1930 2,069,748 Brostrom Feb. 9, 1937 2,181,923 Smolarek Dec. 5, 1939 2,563,018 Fello Aug. 7, 1951 2,707,854 Johnson May 10, 1955 

1. A PORTABLE SKATE SHARPENING DEVICE FOR USE IN COMBINATION WITH AN EXTERNAL PORTABLE DETACHABLY ATTACHABLE, ROTARY POWER SOURCE COMPRISING: A BODY, A GUIDE ON THE BODY FOR ABUTTING A SKATE-BLADE SO THAT THE BODY TRAVERSES THE RUNNING EDGE OF SAID BLADE IN A CONSTANT RELATIONSHIP, A BEARING BLOCK SLIDABLY MOUNTED UPON SAID BODY FOR MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID GUIDE, ADJUSTABLE MEANS OPERATIVELY LINKING THE SAID BEARING BLOCK AND THE BODY, A SPINDLE ROTATABLY CARRIED IN SAID BEARING BLOCK 